Source: Hackers send new message to Sony  —  The hackers behind a devastating cyberattack at Sony Pictures have sent a new message to executives at the company, crediting them for a “very wise” decision to cancel the Christmas day release of “The Interview,” a source close to the company told CNN.

Marco Rubio says Rand Paul's clueless on Cuba  —  Florida Sen. Marco Rubio isn't mincing words when it comes to his Republican colleague Sen. Rand Paul's support for the U.S.'s new Cuba policy.  —  “Like many people who have been opining, he has no idea what he's talking about,” Rubio said Thursday on Fox News' “The Kelly Report.”

SEE IT: NYPD plainclothes officer delivers body blows to youth as he's being cuffed, Internal Affairs investigating  —  'I can't believe he just did that after everything that's happened' a witness says as the boy is punched repeatedly while three NYPD officers try to subdue and cuff him in an incident caught on video.

The Unidentified Queen of Torture  —  For the past eight months, there has been a furious battle raging behind closed doors at the White House, the C.I.A., and in Congress.  The question has been whether the Senate Select Committee on Intelligence would be allowed to use pseudonyms as a means …

Woman Seeks Trademark For “I Can't Breathe,” Dying New York Man's Final Words  —  Buster  —  An Illinois woman is seeking to trademark the dying last words of the New York City man who gasped “I can't breathe” while being arrested by NYPD cops for selling loose cigarettes.

Putin's Bubble Bursts  —  If you're the type who finds macho posturing impressive, Vladimir Putin is your kind of guy.  Sure enough, many American conservatives seem to have an embarrassing crush on the swaggering strongman.  “That is what you call a leader,” enthused Rudy Giuliani …

GOP goes on K Street hiring spree  —  Lobbyists can come home again.  —  As Republicans take control of Congress, they are bringing in veteran influence peddlers to help them run the show.  Nearly a dozen veteran K Streeters have been named as top staffers to GOP leaders or on key committees …

Bush officials gave CIA wide latitude  —  WASHINGTON (AP) — In July 2004, despite growing internal concerns about the CIA's brutal interrogation methods, senior members of George W. Bush's national security team gave the agency permission to employ the harsh tactics against an al Qaida facilitator …

Dog shoots man: Accidental shooting injures man  —  SHERIDAN — The Johnson County Sheriff's Office has released its findings on the shooting of a man Monday on Murphy Gulch Road.  —  Sheriff Steve Kozisek said Richard L. Fipps, 46, of Sheridan had driven to Murphy Gulch Road with two employees to move a vehicle that had become stuck.

A Model Senator  —  “In any election,” Tom Coburn often says, “you should vote for the candidate who will give up the most if they win.”  All things being equal, we should prefer politicians who have accomplished something in their lives beyond government work—and who are willing to sacrifice it …

IRS: Budget cuts could delay refunds  —  Budget cuts backed by congressional Republicans could delay tax refunds in 2015, IRS Commissioner John Koskinen told reporters on Thursday.  —  “Everybody's return will get processed,” Koskinen said at a news conference.